Novel compounds and their use as selective inhibitors of caspase-2

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a compound of formula (I): 
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
     
     wherein P 1 , P 3 , P 4  and P 5  are amino acid residues or amino acid like structures. 
     The invention also relates to a compound of formula (I) for its use as a Caspase-2 inhibitor and for its therapeutical use. It also concerns the use of a compound of formula (I) as activity base probe to selectively detect Caspase-2 activity.

The present invention relates to novel compounds which are useful asselective inhibitors of Caspase-2. This invention also relates to thetherapeutic use of these compounds and to their use as activity basedprobes (ABPs) for Caspase-2.

Caspases are a family of intracellular endoproteases using a cysteineresidue at the initiation of the cleavage of peptide substrates. Theyare widely known to have important implications in the regulation ofinflammation as well as a crucial role in the control of programmed celldeath by apoptosis.

Caspases are classified in two major groups: those involved in theregulation of inflammatory processes (-1, -4, -5, -11, -12) and thosethat are central to the initiation and execution of apoptosis. There aretwo groups among apoptotic Caspases, the “initiators” who have a longN-terminal pro-domain (Caspase-2, -8, -9, -10), and those with a shortpro-domain (residues 20-30) who are the “executors” of apoptosis(Caspase-3, -6, -7). Caspases involved in inflammation and theinitiation of apoptosis have structural units involved in thetransduction of the apoptotic signal, such as “Death Effector Domain”(DED) and “Caspase Recruitment Domain” (CARD). Each of these domainsallows homotypic interaction with other protein partners.

The enzymatic properties of Caspases are governed by the existence of acatalytic dyad (cysteine, histidine) where cysteine acts as anucleophile for the initiation of cleavage of peptide bonds. The activesite of Caspases is highly conserved, with the catalytic cysteineincluded in a peptide sequence QACXG (where X is arginine (R), glutamine(Q) or glycine (G)) and a basic subsite S1, which gives them specificityfor substrate cleavage after an aspartate residue, which is unique amongmammalian proteases, except for the serine protease granzyme B.Generally, Caspases recognize a tetra-peptide motif, P1-P4 in N-ter ofthe cleavable bond, respectively recognized by subsites S1-S4 of theenzyme. The downstream positions Aspartate (P′1 and P′2) are alsoinvolved in the recognition and specificity vis-à-vis of Caspases.

Caspases have been classified in three groups based on the substratepeptide sequences they preferentially recognize. Group I Caspases (-1,-4 and -5) have a preference for a hydrophobic residue in P4. While theenzymes of group II (-2, -3, -7) have a strong preference for anAspartate at this position, Group III (-6, -8, -9, -10) favors smallaliphatic chains P4. In the group II, Caspase-2 has a unique recognitionmodality; indeed, it requires the recognition of a residue at positionP5 (preferably a leucine, isoleucine, valine, or alanine) to exert itscatalytic activity. Caspase-3 and -7 also recognize a P5 residue in anon-obligatory way.

Originally named Nedd-2, “Neural precursor cell Expresseddevelopmentally down-regulated 2” in mice and Ich-1, “ICE and CED3homolog” in humans, Caspase-2, encoded by the gene CASP2 (chr.7q34-q35), is the most conserved member of this family of enzymes. Itsactivity is finely regulated during neuronal development in humans.There are two Caspase-2 isoforms: a proapoptotic one (2L) and anantiapoptotic one (2S). The 2L isoform is the predominant form in mosttissues, but 2S isoform is expressed at similar levels in brain,skeletal muscle and heart.

Caspase-2 acts as an initiator Caspase that poorly cleaves otherCaspases but can initiate mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization,and that regulates diverse stress-induced signaling pathways includingheat shock, DNA damage, mitochondria oxidative stress, and cytoskeletondisruption.

Beside apoptosis, Caspase-2 participates in the regulation of oxidativestress. For instance, elderly Casp-2^(−/−) mice show reduced SuperoxydeDismutase and Gluthation peroxydase activities. In some specificcircumstances, Caspase-2 can act as a tumor suppressor. Indeed, underoncogenic stress (as in the Eρ-Myc transgenic mouse model), Caspase-2deficiency potentiates tumorigenesis. Some data also suggest thatCaspase-2 might inhibit autophagy (Tiwari M et al., J Biol Chem 2011;286: 8493-8506; Tiwari M et al. Autophagy 2014; 10: 1054-1070).

Genetic inhibition of Caspase-2 was found to be neuroprotective innewborn mice exposed to hypoxic-ischemic or excitotoxic challenges,suggesting that Caspase-2-mediated cell death might contribute to thepathophysiology of perinatal brain injury (Carlsson et al., Annals ofNeurology 2011, 70(5):781-9). In addition, genetic inhibition ofCaspase-2 confers ocular neuroprotection (Amhed Z et al., Cell DeathDis. 2011 Jun. 16; 2:e173) and it has recently been shown that Caspase-2mediates site-specific retinal ganglion Cell death after blunt ocularinjury (Thomas C N et al., Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018 Sep. 4;59(11):4453-4462).

In cellular models of Alzheimer's disease (Carol M. Troy et al. TheJournal of Neuroscience, Feb. 15, 2000, 20(4):1386-1392), Caspase-2 is akey effector of neuronal death induced by the amyloid peptide A3 (Ribe EM et al., Biochem J. 2012 444(3):591-9).

Moreover, using amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice, Pozueta etal. (Nat. Commun. 2013; 4:1939) have shown that:

(i) Caspase-2 is required for the cognitive decline in this Alzheimeranimal model,

(ii) cultured hippocampal neurons lacking Caspase-2 are immune to thesynaptotoxic effects of A3, and

(iii) Caspase-2 is a critical mediator in the activation of theRhoA/ROCK-II signaling pathway, leading to the collapse of dendriticspines,

thus suggesting that Caspase-2 is a key driver of synaptic dysfunctionin Alzheimer's disease.

Caspase-2 was also found to directly cleave the protein Tau and thusappears to be implicated in the generation of Atau314, that might havean influence in synaptic dysfunction noticed in Alzheimer's disease andother tauopathies (Zhao et al. Nat. Med. 2016).

Caspase-2 seems also implicated in behavioral deficits in Huntington'sdisease (Caroll et al., Mol. Neurodegener. 2011 Aug. 19; 6:59).

Caspase-2 also appears to promote obesity, metabolic syndrome andnonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Indeed, it has been shown thatCaspase-2 deficient mice were protected from these conditions (Machado MV et al. Cell Death Dis. 2016 Feb. 18; 7:e2096).

The first generations of Caspases inhibitors were aldehyde peptideswhich reversibly inhibit Caspases. Several sequences supposedly conferpreferential effects vis-à-vis some members of the Caspase family havebeen developed including Ac-DEVD-CHO (a preferential inhibitor ofCaspase-3 and Caspase-7) and Ac-VDVAD-CHO (a preferential inhibitor ofCaspase-2, -3, and -7).

In the second generation of Caspases inhibitors, the aldehyde group hasbeen replaced by α-substituted ketones with a fluoromethyl ketone group(fmk). This type of inhibitor inactivates the enzyme by forming anadduct with the active site cysteine. Z (Benzyloxylcarbonyle)-VAD-fmk isa broad-spectrum inhibitor of this generation. These molecules are toxicin vivo, because the release of fluoroacetate group, particularly in theliver, leads to the inhibition of aconitase. Thus, the development ofinhibitors with a fmk group, was abandoned in the preclinical phasebecause of its hepatotoxicity. Then, several Caspase inhibitors havebeen synthetized in the art (Poreba et al., Chem Rev. 2015 Nov. 25;115(22):12546-629). In particular, compounds able to inhibit Caspase-2activity have been reported for example in WO 2005/105829 and EP2670774.However, these known Caspase-2 inhibitors also have a too high activitywith respect to Caspase-3. They thus cannot be qualified as selectiveCaspase-2 inhibitors.

More recently, a series of reversible Caspase-2 inhibitor has beenreported. When evaluated in vitro on human recombinant Caspases, thesecompounds were found to preferentially inhibit Caspase-2, but havemoderate effects in cellular assays and structural properties that areincompatible with in vivo use (Maillard et al., Biorganic &MedicinalChemistry 19 (2011) 5833-5851).

Accordingly, there is still a need for potent and selective Caspase-2inhibitors more particularly with a significantly reduced activityagainst Caspase-3. In particular, it would be highly advantageous toprovide more selective and efficient Caspase-2 inhibitors for use in theprevention and/or treatment of diseases and/or injuries in whichCaspase-2 activity is implicated such as neonatal brain ischemia, heartischemia and chronic degenerative diseases like for instance Alzheimer'sdisease.

It would also be very advantageous to provide more efficacious andselective Caspase-2 inhibitors for use as an activity-based probe tospecifically detect Caspase-2 activity.

The compounds of the invention aim to meet these needs.

Thus, according to one of its aspects, the present invention relates toa compound of formula (I):

in which:

-   -   Z₁ and Z₂, identical or different are selected from a hydrogen        atom, a (C₁-C₆)alkyl and a (C₁-C₆)alkoxy group;    -   P₅ is selected from the following amino acid residues or amino        acid like structures:

-   -   P₁ and P₄, identical or different, are selected from the        following amino acid like structures:

in which Z₃ and Z₄, identical or different, are selected from a hydrogenatom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group;

-   -   P₃ is selected from the following amino acid residues:

-   -   R₁ is selected from

-   -    and    -   R₂ is selected from:

in which

-   -   m is 0, 1 or 2;    -   p is 1, 2, 3 or 4;    -   Z₅ is a halogen atom;    -   q is 0 or 1;    -   Z₆ is selected from a (C₁-C₆)alkyl and a phenyl group, said        phenyl group being optionally substituted by an amino group;    -   Z₇, Z₈ and Z₁₁, identical or different, are selected from a        hydrogen atom, a (C₁-C₄)alkyl, a tetrahydroquinolynyl and a        —(CH₂)_(i)-aryl group with i being 0, 1 or 2, said aryl group        being optionally substituted by one, two, three, or four halogen        atom(s) or one (C₁-C₄) alkyl group; and    -   Z₉ and Z₁₀, identical or different, are selected from a halogen        atom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group;        or one of its salts;        said compound of formula (I) being in all the possible racemic,        enantiomeric and diastereoisomeric isomer forms.

After extensive research, the inventor has found that these compounds offormula (I) acts as selective and effective inhibitors of Caspase-2activity as demonstrated in the following examples.

Indeed, the compounds of the present invention are much more efficientto inhibit Caspase-2 than to inhibit Caspase-3.

In particular, as shown in the following examples, some compounds of theinvention exhibit an inhibitory effect on Caspase-2 at least two times,preferably at least 5 times, more preferably at least 10 times, and evenmore preferably at least 15 times higher than their inhibitory effect onCaspase-3.

The inhibitory effect of the compounds of the invention with respect toCaspase-2 and Caspase-3 may be evaluated by kinetic approaches usinghuman recombinant Caspases. For irreversible inhibitors, k_(inact)/K_(I)ratio is determined using the method disclosed in example 2. Forreversible inhibitors IC₅₀ and k_(i) are determined.

Moreover, the fact that some of these inhibitors are irreversible isvery advantageous since this type of inhibitors can be used in prolongedsuppression of Caspase-2, limited only by the normal rate of proteinresynthesis, also called turnover.

In the meaning of the present invention:

-   -   A “Caspase inhibitor” is intended to mean a compound that        reduces or suppresses the activity of the targeted Caspase, as        compared with said activity determined without said inhibitor.    -   A “selective Caspase-2 inhibitor” is intended to mean a compound        that decreases the activity of Caspase-2 more than the activity        of other Caspases, in particular Caspase-3.

Thus, according to a second aspect, the invention is directed to acompound of the invention for its use as selective Caspase-2 inhibitor.

According to one embodiment, the R₂ radical of the compounds of theinvention is selected from:

in which m, p, q, Z₅, Z₆, Z₇, Z₈, Z₉, Z₁₀ and Z₁₁ are as above defined.

These compounds may advantageously be introduced in a pharmaceuticalcomposition. These compounds may be used as a medicament. Moreparticularly, they may be used in the prevention and/or treatment ofdiseases and/or injuries in which Caspase-2 activity is implicated.

For the purposes of the present invention the term “prevention” means atleast partly reducing the risk of manifestation of a given phenomenon,i.e., in the present invention, a disease and/or injury in whichCaspase-2 activity is implicated. A partial reduction implies that therisk remains, but to a lesser extent than before implementing theinvention.

For the purposes of the present invention the term “treatment” isintended to mean completely or partially curing a given phenomenon,i.e., in the present invention, a disease and/or injury in whichCaspase-2 activity is implicated, including decreasing, minimizing orreducing said given phenomenon.

Thus, according to a third aspect, the invention is directed to apharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound of theinvention wherein R₂ is as above defined and at least onepharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention is directed to a compound ofthe invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for its use as amedicament.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention is directed to a compound ofthe invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for its use in theprevention and/or treatment of diseases and/or injuries in whichCaspase-2 activity is implicated.

According to a sixth aspect, the invention is directed to a compound ofthe invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for its use in protectingneuronal cells from Aβ-induced dysfunction or toxicity, moreparticularly against Aβ-induced cell death, Aβ-induced axonaldegeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiological dysfunction, and/orAβ-induced synapse loss.

According to another embodiment, the R₂ radical of the compounds of theinvention is selected from:

These compounds may advantageously be used as an activity-based probe toselectively detect Caspase-2 activity.

Thus, according to a sixth aspect, the invention is directed to the useof a compound of the invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, as anactivity-based probe to selectively detect Caspase-2 activity.

In the context of the present invention, the following abbreviations andempirical formulae are used:

-   -   Boc Tert-Butyloxycarbonyl    -   ° C. Degree Celsius    -   Me Methyl    -   Bn Benzyl    -   AMC 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin    -   PBS Phosphate Buffered Saline    -   Ac Acetyl    -   RFU Relative Fluorescence Units    -   HEPES 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid    -   DTT Dithiothreitol    -   EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid    -   CHAPS (3-((3-cholamidopropyl)        dimethylammonio)-1-propanesulfonate)    -   DMSO Dimethyl sulfoxide

It should further be noted that in all amino-acid like sequences thatare represented in the present invention by using the above-mentionedabbreviations, the left and right orientation is in the conventionaldirection of amino-terminus to carboxy-terminus.

Accordingly, it appears clearly that in a formula defining a peptidelike structure according to the invention, when a sequence as R₁-P₅P₄P₃-or —P₁—R₂ is indicated:

(i) the

part of the P₅ amino acid residue or amino acid like residue is linkedto R₁;

the one of the P₄ amino acid like residue is linked to the P₅ amino acidresidue or amino acid like residue;

the one of the P₃ amino acid residue is linked to the P₄ amino acid likeresidue; and

the one of the P₁ amino acid like residue is linked to

at the opposite of R₂ as represented in formula (I);

and

(ii) the

part of the P₅ amino acid residue or amino acid like residue is linkedto the P₄ amino acid like residue;

the one of the P₄ amino acid like residue is linked to the P₃ amino acidresidue;

the one of the P₃ amino acid residue is linked to the

at the opposite of the P₄ amino acid like residue as represented informula (I); and

the one of the P₁ amino acid like residue is linked to R₂.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearlyfrom the description, and the examples which follow given by way ofnon-limiting illustration.

FIGURE

FIG. 1 : Synapse protection toward Amyloid beta peptide [1-42] oligomerstoxicity with compound 2. Co: control; [Aβ]_(n): Neurons intoxicatedwith Amyloid beta peptide [1-42] oligomers, 10 nM; Aβ: Neurons incubatedwith non-oligomeric (non toxic) Amyloid beta, 10 nM; 2a: Neuronsintoxicated with Amyloid beta peptide [1-42] oligomers, 10 nM butpretreated with compound 2 enantiomer a at 0.1 μM or 1 μM (** p<0.01(Kruskall-Wallis Dunn's post hoc test)).

COMPOUNDS OF THE INVENTION

As above-mentioned, the compounds according to the invention correspondto general formula (I):

in which:

-   -   Z₁ and Z₂, identical or different are selected from a hydrogen        atom, a (C₁-C₆)alkyl and a (C₁-C₆)alkoxy group;    -   P₅ is selected from the following amino acids residues or amino        acid like structures:

-   -   P₁ and P₄, identical or different, are selected from the        following amino acid like structures compounds:

in which Z₃ and Z₄, identical or different, are selected from a hydrogenatom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group;

-   -   P₃ is selected from the following amino acid residues:

-   -   R₁ is selected from:

-   -    and    -   R₂ is selected from:

in which:

-   -   m is 0, 1 or 2;    -   p is 1, 2, 3 or 4;    -   Z₅ is a halogen atom;    -   q is0 or 1;    -   Z₆ is selected from a (C₁-C₆)alkyl and a phenyl group, said        phenyl group being optionally substituted by an amino group;    -   Z₇, Z₈ and Z₁₁, identical or different, are selected from a        hydrogen atom, a (C₁-C₄)alkyl, a tetrahydroquinolynyl and a        —(CH₂)_(i)-aryl group with i being 0, 1 or 2, said aryl group        being optionally substituted by one, two, three, or four halogen        atom(s) or one (C₁-C₄) alkyl group; and    -   Z₉ and Z₁₀, identical or different, are selected from a halogen        atom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group;        or one of its salts;        said compound of formula (I) being in all the possible racemic,        enantiomeric and diastereoisomeric isomer forms.

In a particular embodiment, the asymmetric carbon atom of pyrrolidinering linked to

is of (S) configuration, and the other asymmetric alpha carbons of aminoacid like P1, P3, P4 and P5 are of (S) configuration.

In yet a particular embodiment, the asymmetric carbon atom ofpyrrolidine ring linked to

is of (R) configuration, and the other asymmetric alpha carbons of aminoacid like P1, P3, P4 and P5 are of (S) configuration.

Accordingly, the compounds of the invention comprise several asymmetriccarbon atoms. They thus may exist in the form of enantiomers ordiastereoisomers. These enantiomers and diastereoisomers, and alsomixtures thereof, including racemic mixtures, form part of theinvention.

The compounds of the invention may also exist in the form of bases or ofacid-addition salts. These salts may be prepared with pharmaceuticallyacceptable acids, but the salts of other acids that are useful, forexample, for purifying or isolating the compounds of formula (I) alsoform part of the invention.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable” means what is useful in preparinga pharmaceutical composition generally safe, non-toxic, and neitherbiologically nor otherwise undesirable and includes what is acceptablefor veterinary as well as human pharmaceutical use.

The compounds of the invention may also exist in the form of hydrates orsolvates, i.e. in the form of associations or combinations with one ormore molecules of water or with a solvent. Such hydrates and solvatesalso form part of the invention.

In the context of the present invention, the following definitionsapply:

-   -   a halogen atom: a fluorine, a chlorine, a bromine or an iodine        atom. The halogen atoms may be more particularly fluorine atoms.    -   C_(t)-C_(z): a carbon-based chain possibly containing from t to        z carbon atoms in which t and z may take values from 1 to 10;        for example, C₁-C₃ is a carbon-based chain possibly containing        from 1 to 3 carbon atoms.    -   an alkyl: a linear or branched saturated aliphatic group, in        particular comprising form 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Examples that        may be mentioned include methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl,        butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, neopenthyl etc.    -   an alkoxy: a radical —O-alkyl in which the alkyl group is as        defined previously.    -   an aryl: a monocyclic or bicyclic aromatic group containing        between 5 and 10 carbon atoms, in particular between 6 and 10        carbon atoms. By way of examples of an aryl group, mention may        be made of phenyl or naphthyl group. Preferably, the aryl group        is phenyl.

Among the compounds of general formula (I) according to the invention, asubgroup of compounds is constituted by the compounds of formula (II):

wherein:

-   -   R₁ and R₂ are as defined in the formula (I);    -   Z₁ and Z₂ are as defined in the formula (I);    -   R₃ is selected from a —CH₃, a —CH(CH₃)₂, a —CH₂CH(CH₃)₂, a        —CH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃ and a 4-hydroxyphenyl group;    -   A and B, identical or different, are selected from a nitrogen        atom and a —CH— group;    -   R₅ and R₆, identical or different, are selected from a hydrogen        atom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group; and    -   R₄ is selected from a —CH₃, a —CH(CH₃)₂, a —CH₂CH(CH₃)₂, a        —CH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃ and a —(CH₂)₂CO₂H group;        or one of its salts;        said compound of formula (II) being in all the possible racemic,        enantiomeric and diastereoisomeric isomer forms.

In a particular embodiment, the asymmetric carbon atom of pyrrolidinering linked to

is of (S) configuration and the other asymmetric alpha carbons of aminoacid like P1, P3, P4 and P5 are of (S) configuration.

In yet a particular embodiment, the asymmetric carbon atom ofpyrrolidine ring linked to

is of (R) configuration and the other asymmetric alpha carbons of aminoacid like P1, P3, P4 and P5 are of (S) configuration.

Preferably in formula (II), at least one of A and B is a —CH group, morepreferably A and B are —CH groups.

According to a preferred mode of the invention, the compounds accordingto the invention may be of formula (III):

wherein R₁ and R₂ are as defined in the formula (I);

or one of its salts;

said compound of formula (III) being in all the possible racemic,enantiomeric and diastereoisomeric isomer forms.

According to another preferred embodiment, in formula (I), (II) and/or(III), R₁ is:

According to another preferred embodiment, in formula (I), (II) and/or(III), R₁ is:

According to another preferred embodiment, in formula (I), (II) and/or(III), R₂ is selected from:

in which Z′ is a fluorine atom and j is 0, 1 or 2.

Preferably, R₂ is:

In a particular embodiment, when R₂ is a methoxyphenyl as defined above,the phenyl ring is substituted with 2, 3, 4 or 5 halogen atoms,preferably said halogen is selected from fluorine or chlorine atoms.

According to yet a preferred embodiment, the compounds according to theinvention have at least one, preferably at least three asymmetric carbonatoms of (S) configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the asymmetric carbon atom of pyrrolidinering linked to

is of (S) configuration and the other asymmetric alpha carbons of aminoacid like P1, P3, P4 and P5 are of (S) configuration.

More preferably, all the asymmetric carbon atoms of the compoundsaccording to the invention are of (S) configuration.

In yet a particular embodiment, the asymmetric carbon atom ofpyrrolidine ring linked to

is of (R) configuration and the other asymmetric alpha carbons of aminoacid like P1, P3, P4 and P5 are of (S) configuration.

Among the compounds of general formula (I) according to the invention,mention may be made especially of the following compounds:

IUPAC STRUCTURE/Compound No NAME

(S)-3-((S)-2-acetamido-3- methylbutanamido)-4-(((S)-1-((2S,3S)-2-(((S)-3-carboxy-1-((4- methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl)amino)-1-oxopropan-2- yl)carbamoyl)-3- neopentylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)amino)-4- oxobutanoic acid 1

(S)-4-(((S)-1-((2S,3S)-2-(2- (carboxymethyl)-2-(2-(2,6-difluorophenoxy)acetyl) hydrazinecarbonyl)- 3-neopentylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2- yl)amino)-3-((S)-3-methyl-2- (quinoline-2-carboxamido)butanamido)-4- oxobutanoic acid 2

(S)-4-(((S)-1-((2S,3S)-2-(((S)-3- carboxy-1-oxo-1-(thiazol-5-ylmethoxy)propan-2- yl)carbamoyl)-3- neopenthylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)amino)-3- ((S)-3-methyl-2-(quinoline-2-carboxamido)butanamido)-4- oxobutanoic acid 3

(S)-4-(((S)-1-((2S,3S)-2-(2- (carboxymethyl)-2-(2-(2,6-difluorophenoxy)acetyl) hydrazinecarbonyl)- 3-neopentylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2- yl)amino)-3-((S)-3-methyl-2- (quinoline-2-carboxamido)butanamido)-4- oxobutanoic acid 4

(S)-4-(((S)-1-((2S,3S)-2-(2-((E)-4- (benzyl(methyl)amino)-4-oxobut-2-enoyl)-2- (carboxymethyl)hydrazinecarbonyl)-3-neopentylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-3- methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)amino)-3-((S)-3-methyl-2-(quinoline-2- carboxamido)butanamido)-4- oxobutanoicacid 5

(S)-3-(2-((2-(tert- butyl)phenyl)amino)-2-oxoacetamido)-4-(((S)-1-((2S,3S)- 2-(2-(carboxymethyl)-2-(2-(2,6-difluorophenoxy)acetyl) hydrazinecarbonyl)- 3-neopentylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2- yl)amino)-4-oxobutanoic acid 6

Accordingly, in a particular embodiment, a compound according to theinvention is selected from compounds 1 to 6 indicated here-above.

PREPARATION OF THE COMPOUNDS OF THE INVENTION

The compounds of the invention may be prepared by organic and peptidesynthesis. Assembly of the structure by peptide synthesis belongs to thegeneral knowledge of the skilled artisan and further details aredepicted in Linton et al., J. Med. Chem. 2005, 48, 6779-6782 and inChauvier et al Cell Death Dis 2011, 2:e203. The precursors of R₁, R₂,P₁, X, P₃, P₄ and P₅ that lead to the compounds of the invention areintroduced in the different steps of the process.

The precursor may either be commercial product or commercial productthat has been functionalized according to well-known protocols for theskilled artisan. Further details and references can be made to “Designof Caspase inhibitors as potential clinical agents; CRC press; CRCEnzyme inhibitors series, Edited by Tom O'Brien & Steven D. Lintonchapter 7 by BR Ullman”.

In particular, example 1 of the present invention illustrates theprotocol of preparation of the compound 2 according to the invention.

APPLICATIONS

As specified previously and clearly illustrated by the followingexamples, the compounds according to the present invention are useful asselective Caspase-2 inhibitors.

Indeed, as pointed out by the examples they show a much betterinhibitory effect for Caspase-2 than for Caspase-3 despite that thesetwo have closest resembling active site among all the caspases. As aconsequence, they are efficient to selectively inhibit Caspase-2.

a) Therapeutic Field

In view of the above, the compounds of the present invention, and moreparticularly the compounds for which the R₂ radical is selected from:

in which m, p, q, Z₅, Z₆, Z₇, Z₈, Z₉, Z₁₀ and Z₁₁ are as above defined,may be used in the therapeutic field.

According to one of its aspects, the present invention therefore relatesto a compound of the invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for itsuse as a medicament, in particular a medicament intended to selectivelyinhibit the activity of Caspase-2.

In other terms, the invention concerns the use of a compound accordingto the invention in which R₂ is as above defined for the preparation ofa medicine, in particular of a drug for selectively inhibiting theactivity of Caspase-2.

In other words, the present invention relates to a medicament comprisingat least one compound according to the invention in which R₂ is as abovedefined, in particular a medicament for selectively inhibiting theactivity of Caspase-2.

Thus, according to another of its aspects, the invention is directed toa compound of the invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for its usein the prevention and/or treatment of diseases and/or injuries in whichCaspase-2 activity is implicated.

In other terms, the invention concerns the use of a compound accordingto the invention in which R₂ is as above defined for the preparation ofa medicament intended to prevent and/or treat diseases and/or injuriesin which Caspase-2 activity is implicated.

In particular, said diseases and/or injuries may be selected amongpathologies with cell death, particularly among:

-   -   chronic degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or        other Tauopathies, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease;    -   neonatal brain damage in particular neonatal brain ischemia;    -   traumatic brain injury;    -   kidney ischemia;    -   hypoxia-ischemia (H-I) injuries;    -   stroke-like situations brain injuries;    -   heart ischemia;    -   myocardial infarction;    -   amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS);    -   retinal damages;    -   ophthalmic diseases such as blunt ocular injury, ischemic optic        neuropathy and glaucoma;    -   skin damages;    -   sterile inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis,        cardiac ischemia, gout, pseudogout, joint loosening,        atherosclerosis, syndromes triggered by aluminium salts,        non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), glaucoma and        metabolic diseases;    -   non-sterile inflammatory diseases such as bacterial infection in        particular with bacteria producing pore-forming toxins,        influenza virus infection and single-stranded (ss) RNA        Rhabdoviridae infection such as Maraba virus or vesicular        stomatitis virus (VSV);    -   diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as Brucella,        Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella;    -   dyslipidemias;    -   obesity;    -   metabolic syndrome; and    -   nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

More particularly, said diseases and/or injuries are selected fromchronic neurodegenerative diseases. Preferably they are chosen amongAlzheimer's disease, other known tauopathies (as primary age-relatedtauopathy, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, progressive supranuclearpalsy, corticobasal degeneration, frontotemporal dementia, parkinsonismlinked to chromosome 17, Lytico-Bodig disease, ganglioglioma andgangliocytoma, meningioangiomatosis, postencephalitic parkinsonism,subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, lead encephalopathy, tuberoussclerosis, antothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration,lipofuscinosis), Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease, morespecifically Alzheimer's disease.

According to another aspect, the invention is directed to a compound ofthe invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for its use insynaptoprotection, more particularly in the prevention and/or treatmentof neurodegenerative diseases, even more particularly of Alzheimer'sDisease or of tauopathies.

In an embodiment of the invention, the invention is directed to acompound selected from compound 2, compound 3, compound 4, compound 5and/or compound 6 as defined above for its use in the prevention and/ortreatment of Alzheimer's disease or other Tauopathies.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 2 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease or other Tauopathies.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 3 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease or other Tauopathies.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 4 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease or other Tauopathies.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 5 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease or other Tauopathies.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 6 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease or other Tauopathies.

In a particular embodiment, the present invention relates to a compoundas defined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease.

In an embodiment of the invention, the invention is directed to acompound selected from compound 2, compound 3, compound 4, compound 5and/or compound 6 as defined above for its use in the prevention and/ortreatment of Alzheimer's disease.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 2 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 3 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 4 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 5 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 6 asdefined above for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofAlzheimer's disease.

Even more particularly, as shown in the experimental section, compoundof the invention in which R₂ is as above defined are effective inprotecting neuronal cells from A3 oligomer induced dysfunction ortoxicity.

Accordingly, according to a further aspect, the invention is directed toa compound of the invention wherein R₂ is as above defined, for its usein protecting neuronal cells from Aβ-induced dysfunction or toxicity,more particularly against Aβ-induced cell death, Aβ-induced axonaldegeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiological dysfunction and/orAβ-induced synapse loss.

In an embodiment of the invention, the invention is directed to acompound selected from compound 2, compound 3, compound 4, compound 5and/or compound 6 as defined above for its use in protecting neuronalcells from Aβ-induced dysfunction or toxicity, more particularly againstAβ-induced cell death, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-inducedelectrophysiological dysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 2 asdefined above for its use in protecting neuronal cells from Aβ-induceddysfunction or toxicity, more particularly against Aβ-induced celldeath, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiologicaldysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 3 asdefined above for its use in protecting neuronal cells from Aβ-induceddysfunction or toxicity, more particularly against Aβ-induced celldeath, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiologicaldysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 4 asdefined above for its use in protecting neuronal cells from Aβ-induceddysfunction or toxicity, more particularly against Aβ-induced celldeath, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiologicaldysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 5 asdefined above for its use in protecting neuronal cells from Aβ-induceddysfunction or toxicity, more particularly against Aβ-induced celldeath, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiologicaldysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to compound 6 asdefined above for its use in protecting neuronal cells from Aβ-induceddysfunction or toxicity, more particularly against Aβ-induced celldeath, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiologicaldysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss.

According to yet another of its aspects, the invention is directed to amethod for preventing and/or treating diseases and/or injuries in whichCaspase-2 activity is implicated, comprising at least a step ofadministering to an individual in need thereof at least an effectiveamount of at least one compound in accordance with the invention, inwhich R₂ is as above defined.

According to another of its aspects, the present invention relates to apharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound according tothe invention in which R₂ is as above defined, and at least onepharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may contain moreparticularly an effective dose of at least one compound according to theinvention in which R₂ is as above defined.

An “effective dose” means an amount sufficient to induce a positivemodification in the condition or injury to be regulated or treated, butlow enough to avoid serious side effects. An effective dose may varywith the pharmaceutical effect to obtain or with the particularcondition being treated, the age and physical condition of the end user,the severity of the condition or injury being treated/prevented, theduration of the treatment, the nature of other treatments, the specificcompound or composition employed, the route of administration, and likefactors.

A compound of formula (I) according to the invention in which R₂ is asabove defined may be administered in an effective dose by any of theaccepted modes of administration in the art.

In one embodiment, this compound may be used in a composition intendedto be administrated by oral, nasal, sublingual, ophthalmic, topical,rectal, vaginal, urethral or parenteral injection route.

The route of administration and the galenic formulation will be adaptedby one skilled in the art pursuant to the desired pharmaceutical effect.

One of ordinary skill in the art of therapeutic formulations will beable, without undue experimentation and in reliance upon personalknowledge, to ascertain a therapeutically effective dose of a compoundof the invention for a given indication.

A pharmaceutical composition of the invention may be formulated with anyknown suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients according to thedose, the galenic form, the route of administration and the likes.

As used herein, “pharmaceutically acceptable excipients” include any andall solvents, dispersion media, coatings, antibacterial and antifungalagents, isotonic and absorption delaying agents and the like. Exceptinsofar as any conventional excipient is incompatible with the activecompounds, its use in a medicament or pharmaceutical composition of theinvention is contemplated.

A medicament or pharmaceutical composition of the invention may be inthe form of tablets, pills, powders, lozenges, sachets, cachets,elixirs, suspensions, emulsions, solutions, syrups, aerosols, sprays,ointments, gels, creams, sticks, lotions, pastes, soft and hard gelatinecapsules, suppositories, sterile injectable solutions, sterile packagespowders and the like.

According to one embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition of theinvention may be intended to be administered separately, sequentially orsimultaneously with an agent useful for the prevention and/or thetreatment of a disease condition, in particular Alzheimer's disease,said agent being different from the compound of formula (I) of theinvention.

b) Activity-Based Probe

The compounds of the present invention and more particularly thecompounds for which the R₂ radical is selected from:

may be used as activity-based probe to selectively detect Caspase-2activity.

Thus, according to one of its aspects, the present invention relates tothe use of a compound according to the invention in which R₂ is as abovedefined, as activity-based probe (ABP) to selectively detect Caspase-2activity.

The present invention will be better understood by referring to thefollowing examples which are provided for illustrative purpose only andshould not be interpreted as limiting in any manner the instantinvention.

EXAMPLES Example 1: Preparation of the Compound 2 According to theInvention

The synthesis of compounds according to the invention is inspired by theprocess of preparation of the compound TRP601 represented below:

The synthesis of TRP601 is described in D. Chauvier et al., Cell Deathand Disease (2011) 2, e203.

For example, Compound 2 of the present invention differs from TRP601 inthat:

-   -   P₁ and P₄ are represented by

instead of

in TRP601; and

-   -   The proline like residue

is used instead of

in TRP601.

The compound 2 has thus been obtained by reproducing the steps disclosedin the above-mentioned article to lead to TRP601 except that:

-   -   the precursor

has been used instead of

to introduce the P₁ and P₄ radicals; and

-   -   the precursor

has been used instead of

to introduce the proline like radical with either the configuration (Ror S) of the asymmetric carbon atom of pyrrolidine ring linked to

The precursor of P₁ and P₄ has been prepared starting from thecommercially available (S)-aspartic acid in which the amine function hasbeen protected by a Boc group according to a well-known protocol for theskilled artisan.

The precursor of proline has been obtained according to was obtained asdescribed by Maillard et al., in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 19(2011):5833-5851.

The other building blocks of the compound 2 have been introduced in thesame manner as for TRP601 in the above-mentioned publications, i.e. withthe same reagents, in the same conditions and with the same quantities.

Compound 2 has thus been obtained with a yield of more than 90% andcharacterized by HPLC, with either the configuration (R or S) of theasymmetric carbon atom of pyrrolidine ring linked to

Example 2: Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 Inhibition Assays (In Vitro) forIrreversible Inhibitors

The inhibitory efficiency of compounds of the invention which areirreversible inhibitors of Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 can be evaluated byusing the below explained protocol. Compound 2, as well as compounds 4,5, 6 are irreversible inhibitor and has been evaluated accordingly.

The efficiency of the comparative compound Δ2Me-TRP601, that is analready known group II Caspase inhibitor (inhibitor of Caspase-2,Caspase-3 and Caspase-7), has been assessed by a similar protocoldescribed in Chauvier et al., 2011 Cell Death Dis 2011, 2:e203.

These tested compounds are represented below:

Δ2Me-TRP601 (comparative compound)

In this example, the Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 are human recombinantactive enzymes that are respectively provided by Enzo Life®(ALX-201-057-U100) and R&D Systems® (707-C₃-010/CF).

Caspase-2 is used at a final concentration of 0.1 nM in a “Caspase-2buffer” containing 20 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 5 mM DTT, 2 mM EDTA, 0.1% CHAPSand 800 mM succinate. Caspase-3 is used at a final concentration of 0.5nM in a “Caspase-3 buffer” containing 20 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 0.1% CHAPS,5 mM DTT, and 2 mM EDTA.

The peptide substrates used for the enzymatic activity measurements areAc-DEVD-AMC and Ac-VDVAD-AMC commercialized by EnzoLife® (respectivelyreferenced ALX-260-031-M005 and ALX-260-060-M005). They are fluorogenicdue to the presence of their AMC (7-amino-4-methylcoumarin) end group.The releasing of AMC enables to follow the enzymatic activity influorescence unit RFU over time in a 96-wells microplate.

The fluorescence values are measured at 37° C. with a spectrofluorometerwith a microplate reader BMG FLUOstar OPTIMA. This apparatus is drivenby the software Biolise® and is equipped with thermoelectric coolingdevice by Peltier effect. The mathematical analyses of the experimentaldata are done with the software Kaleidagraph®.

The inhibitory properties of the tested compounds are evaluated by thedetermination of the k_(inact)/K_(I) ratio regarding either Caspase-2 orCaspase-3 wherein:

-   -   k_(inact) is the maximal inactivation rate constant, and    -   K_(I) is the dissociation constant according to:

${E + {I\begin{matrix}\overset{k_{1}}{\longrightarrow} \\\underset{k_{- 1}}{\longleftarrow}\end{matrix}{E \cdot {I\overset{k_{inact}}{\longrightarrow}E}}} - I}{K_{I} = {\frac{k_{- 1}}{k_{1}}{complexe}{covalent}{inactif}}}$

that reflects the inhibitor affinity regarding an enzyme.

Accordingly, the higher the ratio, the more efficient the inhibitor.

Said ratio is measured according to the continuous method (Allison R D.Curr Protoc Protein Sci. 2001 May; Chapter 3:Unit 3.5; Chauvier et al.,2011 Cell Death Dis 2:e203; Tan et al., J Med Chem 2015, 58:598-312).

Briefly, Caspases activities were determined by monitoring thehydrolysis of fluorogenic substrates (λexc=355 nm, λem=460 nm) as afunction of time, in the presence of untreated Caspases (control) orCaspases that had been incubated with a test compound, for 30 minminimum at 37° C. using a BMG Fluostar microplate reader (black 96-wellmicroplates) and the initial velocity (V₀) was determined from thelinear portion of the progress curve.

Substrates and compounds were previously dissolved in DMSO at 10 mM,with the final solvent concentration kept at lower 4% (v/v). V₀,relative velocities, K_(M) and IC₅₀ were determined from experimentaldata using Mars data Analysis 2.0 and Kaleidagraph softwares.

For irreversible inhibitors as compound 2, inactivation can berepresented by the minimum kinetic scheme, where E and I are the freeforms of enzyme and inhibitor, E*I a kinetic chimera of the Michaeliscomplex and E-I the covalent complex or inactivated enzyme.

K _(I) k ₃

E+I⇄E*I→E-I

Inhibitor binding affinity (dissociation constant, K_(I)) andfirst-order rate constant (k₃) parameters were determined for Caspase-2and Caspase-3 using the progress curve method. The ratio k₃/K_(I) wasobtained by fitting the experimental data to the equations (F.U.,fluorescence unit):

${{F.U.} = {{\int_{0}^{t}{v_{i}{dt}}} + {F.U._{0}\frac{{- v_{0}} \times e^{{- \pi}*t}}{\pi}} + {F.U._{0}{with}}}}{\pi = {{\frac{k_{i} \times \lbrack I\rbrack^{\prime}}{K_{I} + \lbrack I\rbrack}{{and}\lbrack I\rbrack}^{\prime}} = \frac{\lbrack I\rbrack}{1 + {\lbrack S\rbrack/K_{m}}}}}$

Linear and nonlinear regression fits of the experimental data to theequations were performed with Kaleidagraph Software.

Determination of the k_(inact)/K_(I) Ratio for the Caspase-2 andCaspase-3 Activity

A continuous method of determination of the k_(inact)/K_(I) ratio wasused for evaluating the inhibitory activity of the tested compoundsagainst Caspase-2 and Caspase-3.

The reaction mixture is prepared by letting the enzyme and the bufferincubate at 37° C.

The tested inhibitory compounds are prepared at different concentrations(¼ IC₅₀; ½ IC₅₀; IC₅₀; 2 IC₅₀; 4 IC₅₀) and put in the microplate.

Then the reaction mixture comprising the enzyme, the buffer and thesubstrate is rapidly added in the wells.

The activities of the enzyme are measured between 45 and 60 minutes.

The RFU (Relative Fluorescence Units)=f(times) curves are traced foreach concentration of tested molecule according to the followingequation:

((((−V ₀)*(exp(−k _(obs) *m0)))+V ₀)/k _(obs)*)+RFU ₀

in which:

-   -   V₀ corresponds to the initial rate (RFU.s⁻¹) in the        concentration of 0 of the tested inhibitory compound;    -   k_(obs) is the inactivation rate constant;    -   RFU₀ is the fluorescence value at t=0 min; and    -   m0 is the variable i.e. the inhibitor concentration.

Adjusting the curve f([I])=k_(obs) in an hyperbole using theKaleigagraph software is then done in order to obtain thek_(inact)/k_(I) ratio on the basis of the following equation:

K _(obs) =k _(inact)×[I]/(K _(I)×[I])

For compounds, 2, 3, 5 and 6 and Δ2Me-TRP601, the comparison ofso-obtained k_(inact)/K_(I) ratios regarding caspase 2 and 3 allow toappreciate their selectivity.

TABLE 1 Inhibitor Selectivity for Caspase 2 Compound 2 yes Compound 4yes Compound 5 yes Compound 6 yes Δ2Me-TRP-601 no (comparative compound)

Tested compounds are found efficient to inhibit Caspase-2.

However, compound 2 reacts totally differently than Δ2Me-TRP-601 withrespect to Caspase-3 (see Table 2 below).

TABLE 2 k₃/K_(I)(M⁻¹ · s⁻¹) Selectivity ratio Casp2 Casp3 (C2/C3)Δ2Me-TRP-601 1 586 020 1 613 405 0.98 Compound 2 1 894 076 2 625 721enantiomer a Compound 2 1 720 ND +++ enantiomer b ND: no detectableinhibitory activity. +++: as no inhibitory activity is detectable towardcasp3, selectivity is very important (>>1000).

Indeed, compound 2 is much more efficient to inactivate Caspase-2 thanto inactivate Caspase-3 whereas Δ2Me-TRP-601 does not exhibit thisselectivity.

As a conclusion, compound 2 is not only efficient to inhibit Caspase-2,but is also selective regarding Caspase-2 with respect to Caspase-3.Interestingly, it is noteworthy that very different level of inhibitionof caspase 2 are noticed depending on the configuration (R or S) of theasymmetric carbon atom of pyrrolidine ring linked to

Then compounds of the invention provide either moderate or strong, buthighly specific, inhibitors of caspase 2 (Table 2) which is ofparticular interest.

Example 3: Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 Activity Detection

To determine the efficiency of a substrate with respect to an individualcaspase we measure the ratio k_(cat)/K_(M) which accounts for thecatalytic efficiency, where k_(cat) (s⁻¹) is the catalytic constant ornumber of substrate molecules converted to product per time unit by eachactive site when the enzyme is saturated and K_(M) is theMichaelis-Menten constant which accounts for the enzyme-substrateaffinity, it represents the substrate concentration for v=V_(max)/2.

Caspase-2 (or caspase-3) is incubated with the inhibitor or bufferalone, adapted to the enzyme and to the Michaelis-Menten complex, for 30min at 37° C. The reaction is triggered, in a total volume of 100 μl,when the buffer-substrate mixture is added; the enzymatic activity isthen measured over 20 minutes. The release of the fluorogenic AMC groupis detected using the following wavelengths: λexc=360 nm and λem=460 nm.

TABLE 3 k_(cat)/K_(M) Enzymes AMC Substrates (index) Casp-2Ac-VDVAD-↓-AMC ++++ (0.1 nM) (25 μM) (62 kDa) Caspase-3 Ac-VDVAD-↓-AMC++++ (0.5 nM) (10 μM) (60 kDa) Casp-2 Compound 1 ++++ (0.1 nM) (25 μM)(62 kDa) Caspase-3 Compound 1 +/− (0.5 nM) (10 μM) (60 kDa) ↓: cleavagesite of the enzyme

The enzymatic activity is characterized by the initial velocity values(Vi) which are defined from equation 1 (eq.1), where V_(max) is the rateat which the enzyme is saturated with substrate, [S] is the substrateconcentration. The initial velocity, expressed here in RFU.min⁻¹, isobtained experimentally from the slope value on the linear portion ofthe representation: f (time)=RFU, a value calculated directly by theBiolise® software.

Vi=Vmax×[S]/(Km+[S])  (eq.1)

The initial velocity obtained for the control (V0) is considered to be100% of the enzymatic activity. An inhibition is characterized by anactivity, after treatment with the inhibitor, of less than 100%. Thepercentage of inhibition is calculated from equation 2 (eq. 2), where V0is the initial rate of the negative control, Vi is the initial rate inthe presence of the inhibitor.

% Inhibition=(1−(V0/Vi))×100  (Eq. 2)

Example 4: Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 Inhibition Assays (In Vitro) forReversible Inhibitors

The inhibitory efficiency of compounds of the invention which arereversible inhibitors of Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 can be evaluated byusing the below explained protocol. Compound 3 is a reversible inhibitorand has been evaluated accordingly.

A preliminary step in the characterization of an inhibitor is thedetermination of its IC50. The IC50 is the necessary concentration of aninhibitor to decrease the enzyme activity by 50% of its maximum anduninhibited value.

The compound, at different concentrations, is incubated with the enzymeand buffer for 30 minutes at 37° C. to allow formation of theEnzyme-Inhibitor complex. The reaction is initiated by addition ofbuffer and substrate, and then activity is measured over 15 minutes forthe determination of initial velocities. The inhibitory effect of theanalyzed compound (in %) as a function of its concentration generallyfollows equation 3 (eq. 3) which translates a hyperbola. The equation isentered in the Kaleidagraph software, for the adjustment of the curve f([I])=% Inhibition, where [I] is the inhibitor concentration, the IC50is then obtained.

% Inhibition=100×[I]/(IC50+[I])  (eq. 3)

Evaluation of Reversible Inhibitors

The reversibility of the inhibition is analyzed by the dilution methodfor Ac-VDVAD-CHO, Ac-DEVD-CHO and compound 3. The enzyme and theinhibitor (or DMSO as control) are incubated for 30 minutes at 37° C.The complex thus formed is diluted to 100^(th) in the buffer/substratemixture and then the activity measurement is started over 20 minutes.The initial rate obtained for the DMSO represents the 100% activity andwill serve as a reference for the quantification of the residualactivity of the enzyme in the presence of the inhibitor.

In order to characterize the reversible inhibitors, the dissociationconstant Ki is determined. It gives an account of the affinity of theinhibitor for the enzyme. For this purpose, the inhibitor is competedwith the substrate with respect to the active site of the enzyme. If,after dilution, the activity is restored to more than 50%, the inhibitoris said to be “reversible”.

The inhibitor is incubated with the Caspase-buffer mixture for 30minutes at 37° C. at different concentrations (¼ IC₅₀, ½ IC₅₀, IC₅₀, 2IC₅₀, 4 IC₅₀). The reaction is started over 20 minutes upon addition ofthe buffer-substrate mixture.

Initial velocity values in RFU.min⁻¹ are reduced to Specific Activity(SA) values (pmol/min/g enzyme) from an AMC standard range (1 RFU→0.02pmol).

The evolution of the ratio 1/SA as a function of 1/[S] makes it possibleto obtain the so-called double-inverse graph of Lineweaver-Burk fromequation 4 (eq.4) where V_(max)app and K_(M)app are the parameters whichvary according to the type inhibition and as a function of inhibitorconcentration. The intersection of the lines obtained for increasinginhibitor concentrations makes it possible to distinguish differenttypes of inhibitors.

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{1}{V} = {{\frac{K{mapp}}{V\max{app}} \times \frac{1}{\lbrack S\rbrack}} + \frac{1}{V\max{app}}}} & \left( {{eq}.4} \right)\end{matrix}$

A secondary graph, obtained from the values of the slopes of theLineweaver-Burk plot as a function of the concentration of inhibitor,makes it possible to obtain the value of the Ki. Its value is given bythe abscissa point at the origin.

The inhibitory powers of the compounds with respect to the Casp-2 and -3are quantified by the determination of the IC₅₀. The results arepresented in Table 3 (left). The IC₅₀ values place compound 3 at thehead behind the reference compound Ac-VDVAD-CHO (IC₅₀=6.9 nM) in termsof efficacy on Casp-2. In addition to acting efficiently on Casp-2,compound 3 appears to be considerably less potent on Caspase-3 thanAc-VDVAD-CHO (IC₅₀=7.23 nM). Thus compound 3 is Casp2-selective.

The in-depth study of the inhibition mechanism was done as follows.

The initial velocity V0 is expressed from equation 8 (eq.8), where Vmaxis the maximum reaction rate (reached when the enzyme is saturated withsubstrate), [S] the substrate concentration, K_(M) is theMichaelis-Menten constant (substrate concentration corresponding toVmax/2), Ki is the dissociation constant which accounts for the affinityof the inhibitor for the enzyme. The Ki allows to quantify theinhibitory power, the lower its value, the stronger the inhibitor.

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{1}{V0} = {\frac{1}{V\max} + {\frac{\left( {1 + \frac{\lbrack I\rbrack}{Ki}} \right) \times {Km}}{V\max} \times \frac{1}{\lbrack S\rbrack}}}} & \left( {{eq}.8} \right)\end{matrix}$

The secondary track obtained from the Lineweaver-Burk graph data allowedthe Ki values to be determined. The Ki values for the various inhibitorsas well as the selectivity indexes are presented in Table 4 (right).

TABLE 4 IC₅₀ (nM) Ki (nM) Inhibitors Casp-2 Caspase-3 Casp-2 Caspase-3Ac-VDVAD-   6.9 ± 0.6  7.23 ± 0.66 6.31 7.68 CHO Ac-DEVD-CHO 3907 ± 189 0.7 ± 0.03 3 222 0.159

TABLE 5 Selectivity Indexes Inhibitors (Ki_(Casp3)/Ki_(Casp2)) Ac-VDVAD-1.3 CHO Ac-DEVD-CHO 62 ×10⁻⁶ Compound 3 >>1000

The inhibitory efficiencies are represented by the IC₅₀ values for theAc-DEVD-CHO and Ac-VDVAD-CHO reference inhibitors as well as for theP₂-variant Ac-VDVAD-CHO derivatives (Table 4). Quantification of theinhibition is given by the values of the Ki constants which account forthe affinity of the inhibitor for the enzyme. A low value indicates apotent inhibitor on its target. The ratios of the constants allow toquantify the selectivity (Table 5), the higher the ratio, the more theinhibitor is selective of the Casp-2.

The Ki values confirm and supplement the information provided by theIC₅₀ data. Thus, compound 3 is an inhibitor that is still powerful onCasp-2 with a selectivity with respect to the latter markedly increasedcompared to Ac-VDVAD-CHO (Table 5).

Example 5: Protection Against Cellular Death Assay

In this example, the protective effect of the compound 2 of theinvention against cellular death induced by vincristine (a vincaalkaloid) is tested using a well-known flow cytometry cell death assaybased on propidium iodide staining.

a. Cellular Model

To evaluate the protecting effect of compounds 2 and 3, aCaspase-dependent cellular model is used.

Human HeLa cells are used in this model. HeLa cells (cervical cancercell line) were obtained from American Type Cell Collection (ATCC), andwere cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM, High Glucose,GlutaMAX™, Pyruvate) (Gibco, Life technologies), supplemented with 10%FCS and antibiotics (Gibco, Life technologies).

Human HeLa cells are treated with a solution of Vincristine (SigmaAldrich) (diluted in water at 5 mM). Vincristine works partly by bindingto the Tubulin protein, stopping the cell from separating itschromosomes during the metaphase; the cell then undergoes apoptosisthrough a caspase-dependent process.

Propidium iodide (PI) (Sigma Aldrich) is used to evaluate plasmamembrane permeabilisation, a sign of cell death.

b. Treatment and Marking Conditions

24 hours before pharmacological treatment, HeLa cells were plated into24-well plates. Culture medium was then removed, cells were washed withPBS, and fresh medium containing compound 2 or 3 at differentconcentrations was added 1 hour before addition of vincristine. Cellswere exposed or not (control), to 20 nM Vincristine for 48 hours.

The content of each well is collected is added to PBS and thencentrifuged (900 rpm; 5 min).

The pellet obtained is put into 300 μL of a medium comprising propidiumiodide and incubated (37° C., 5% CO₂) in the dark for 5 minutes and thensubjected to flow cytometry analysis.

c. Cells Analysis

The cells are then analyzed by flow cytometry with an excitation of 561nm.

Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting was performed using a FACSCaliburcytometer (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, Calif.). For each sample, datafrom 5,000 Cells were registered and analyzed with the CellQuest Pro™software (Becton Dickinson). Analysis included FSC (ForwardScatter/relating to the cells' size) and SSC (Side Scatter/relating tothe cells' granularity) parameters together with FL-1 and FL-3 channel.

TABLE 6 Composition Index of cell death Compound 2 and ++ vincristineCompound 3 and ++ vincristine Vincristine alone ++++ The number of “+”is indicative of cell mortality measured in the assay. The higher thenumber of “+” represented, the higher the cell mortality measured in theassay.

The percentage of propidium iodide positive cells gives an estimation ofcell death.

Control composition, which neither contains vincristine nor inhibitor,enables to estimate the quantity of cells that died naturally.

Composition containing vincristine but no inhibitor, provides the totalnumber of dead cells that corresponds to the sum of naturally dead cellsand of apoptotic cells induced by vincristine.

Inventors observe clearly that compound 2 and 3 protect the cellsagainst apoptotic death induced by vincristine in a dose-dependentmanner.

Example 6: Protection Against Abeta-Neurotoxicity

a) Primary Neuronal Cultures

Hippocampus are micro-dissected from E16 embryos of C₅₇B16/J wt mice(Rene Janvier, France) in cold Gey's Balanced Salt Solution (GBSS,Sigma) supplemented with 0.1% glucose (Life technologies).

Dissected structures are digested with papain (20U/ML in DMEM, Sigma;St. Louis, Mo., USA) and mechanically dissociated in the presence ofDNAse. Hippocampal cells are then rinsed and re-suspended in DMEM (LifeTechnologies, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., USA) to a final density of 18million cells/ml in Neurobasal (Life technologies) and Glutamax (0.1%LifeTechnologies) supplemented with B27 (1/50) andpenicilline/sptreptomycine 1% (Gibco).

This cell suspension is then used to fill the reservoirs of microfluidicchambers, as described (Peyrin et al, 2011 Lab Chips 11(21):3663;Deleglise et al, 2014 Acta Neuropathologica Comm. 2: 145). Microfluidicchips are placed in plastic Petri dishes containing H20-EDTA to preventevaporation and incubated at 37° C. in a humid 5% C0₂ atmosphere. Theculture medium is renewed every seven days.

b) Preparation of Aβ Peptide Oligomers

Oligomeric form of Aβ₁₋₄₂ (Tocris Bioscience, MN, USA), is producedaccording to Stine W B et al (2003) in J Biol Chem 278, pp 11612-11622and can be controlled by electron microscopy as in Deleglise B et al. inActa Neuropathol Commun. 2014; 2: 145).

Briefly, Aβ₁₋₄₂ lyophilized peptides are solubilized at 1 mM in 1, 1, 1,3, 3, 3,-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP, Sigma Aldrich). After 30 min ofincubation at RT, HFIP is evaporated for 12 h under chemical hood andpeptides are dried for 1 h (with a Speed Vac at 4° C.). Then, 5 mM Aβpeptide stock solutions are obtained by resolubilization at indimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, Sigma Aldrich). To obtain oligomers, Aβ peptidestock solution is diluted in cold phenol free DMEM-F12 medium (LifeTechnologies) to a final concentration of 100 μM. The solution is thenincubated 24 h at 4° C. Soluble Aβ oligomer fraction is collected fromthe supernatant after a centrifugation step at 20 000 g (10 min; 4° C.),and stored at −80° C. until use.

c) Toxicity Assay

After 18 days of culture in micro fluidic chambers, hippocampal cellsare pre-incubated for 1 h with compounds of the invention prior dilutedin phenol free DMEM-F12 medium or in phenol free DMEM-F12 medium aloneas a control solution. Cells are then intoxicated for 3 h to 6 h or 24 hwith 10 or 100 nm of Aβ₁₋₄₂ oligomers (or with phenol free DMEM-F12medium alone as a control solution). After the intoxication step, cellsare fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA, Sigma; St. Louis, Mo., USA) for20 min RT, and labelled as explained below to evaluate synapses status,cell death or axonal degeneration.

d) Immunofluorescence

Briefly, after the fixation step, cultures cells are washed twice withPBS+Azide 0.1% for 5 min and permeabilized for 10 min with 0.2% TritonX-100 and 0.1% BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin, Sigma) in PBS+Azide 0.1%.Saturation step is then realized by incubating cells during 30 min inPBS+Azide 0.1%+BSA1%. Primary antibodies are then added and the samplesincubated at 4° C. overnight in PBS. Afterwards, samples are rinsedtwice for 5 min with PBS+Azide 0.1% and further incubated with thecorresponding secondary antibody together with phalloidin conjugated toAlexa Fluor 555 for 2 h RT. The chips were then rinsed twice withPBS+Azide 0.1%.

The following antibodies are used: rabbit polyclonal anti-MAP-2 (AB5622;1/400, MILLIPORE), mouse monoclonal Anti-Bassoon SAP7F407; 1:400, EnzoLifeSciences). Species-specific secondary antibodies coupled to Alexa350, 488 or 500 are used (1/500, Life Technologies, Inc., Gaithersburg,Md., USA). Phalloidin conjugated to Alexa Fluor 555 (1/500,EnzoLifeTechnologies) is used to stain F-actin.

e) Image Acquisition

Images are acquired with an Axio-observer Zl (Zeiss, Germany) fittedwith a cooled CCD camera (CoolsnapHQ2, Ropert Scientific). Themicroscope is controlled with Metamorph and Micro-manager software.Images were analyzed using ImageJ software.

f) Results

In the Aβ intoxicated cells, but not pretreated with compounds of theinvention, a marked decrease in anti-Bassoon labelling is noticed assoon as 6 h of intoxication when compared with non-intoxicated samples.This loss of dendritic spines in hippocampal neurons mice providesevidence of neurodegeneration due to Aβ synaptotoxicity and results inthe marked decrease in synapse number (almost 50%, FIG. 1 ). Further, 24hours post-Aβ treatment, axonal degeneration is noticed for hippocampalneurons which have been not pretreated with compounds of the invention.Compounds of the invention are found efficient in protecting hippocampalcells from Aβ-induced cell death, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration,Aβ-induced electrophysiological dysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapseloss (Table 7 and FIG. 1 ).

TABLE 7 Protective effect against Composition Aβ toxicity Compound 2 +Compound 3 + Compound 4 + Compound 5 + Compound 6 + Aβ alone − +:significant protection against a Aβ-induced cell death, Aβ-inducedaxonal degeneration, Aβ-induced electrophysiological dysfunction, and/orAβ-induced synapse loss.

Those experiments provide evidences that compounds of the invention,which are able to modulate the activity of Caspase-2 (tables 1 and 5),are efficient to treat or prevent the occurrence of disorder associatedwith Aβ neurotoxicity.

CONCLUSION

Compounds of the invention are thus valuable compounds for the treatmentof diseases associated with cell death or dysfunction mediated byCaspase 2 activity. More particularly, they are found to be efficient intreating neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Aβsynaptotoxicity being known to play an important in the pathophysiologyof this disease. Furthermore, Caspase 2 is known in the art to mediatecleavage of tau which generates Δtau314, found implied in the cognitivedecay in AD, thus making compounds of the invention valuable compoundsfor their use in treating or preventing diseases implying either tau andor Aβ toxicity.

1. A compound of formula (I):

in which: Z₁ and Z₂, identical or different are selected from a hydrogenatom, a (C₁-C₆)alkyl and a (C₁-C₆)alkoxy group; P₅ is selected from thefollowing amino acids residues or amino acid like structures:

P₁ and P₄, identical or different, are selected from the following aminoacid like structures:

in which Z₃ and Z₄, identical or different, are selected from a hydrogenatom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group; P₃ is selected from the following aminoacid residues:

R₁ is selected from:

 ; and R₂ is selected from:

in which: m is 0, 1, or 2; p is 1, 2, 3 or 4; Z₅ is a halogen atom; q is0 or 1; Z₆ is selected from a (C₁-C₆)alkyl and a phenyl group, saidphenyl group being optionally substituted by an amino group; Z₇, Z₈ andZ₁₁, identical or different, are selected from a hydrogen atom, a(C₁-C₄)alkyl, a tetrahydroquinolynyl and a —(CH₂)_(i)-aryl group with ibeing 0, 1 or 2, said aryl group being optionally substituted by one,two, three, or four halogen atom(s) or one (C₁-C₄) alkyl group; and Z₉and Z₁₀, identical or different, are selected from a halogen atom and a(C₁-C₆)alkyl group; or one of its salts; said compound of formula (I)being in all the possible racemic, enantiomeric and diastereoisomericisomer forms.
 2. Compound according to claim 1 of formula (II):

wherein: R₁ and R₂ are as defined in the formula (I) according to claim1; Z₁ and Z₂ are as defined in the formula (I) according to claim 1; R₃is selected from a —CH₃, a —CH(CH₃)₂, a —CH₂CH(CH₃)₂ a —CH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃and a 4-hydroxyphenyl group; A and B, identical or different, areselected from a nitrogen atom and a —CH— group; R₅ and R₆, identical ordifferent, are selected from a hydrogen atom and a (C₁-C₆)alkyl group;and R₄ is selected from a —CH₃, a —CH(CH₃)₂, a —CH₂CH(CH₃)₂, a—CH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃ and a —(CH₂)₂CO₂H group; or one of its salts; saidcompound of formula (II) being in all the possible racemic, enantiomericand diastereoisomeric isomer forms.
 3. Compound of formula (II)according to claim 2, wherein at least one of A and B is a —CH group,preferably A and B are —CH groups.
 4. Compound according to any one ofthe preceding claims of formula (III):

wherein R₁ and R₂ are as defined in the formula (I) according to claim1; or one of its salts; said compound of formula (III) being in all thepossible racemic, enantiomeric and diastereoisomeric isomer forms. 5.Compound according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein R₁ is:


6. Compound according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein R₂ isselected from:

in which Z′ is a fluorine atom and j is 0, 1 or 2; and preferably R₂ is:


7. Compound according to any one of the preceding claims, having atleast one, preferably at least three asymmetric carbon atoms of (S)configuration, and more preferably all the asymmetric carbon atoms of(S) configuration.
 8. Compound according to any one of the precedingclaims, selected from:


9. Compound according to any one of the preceding claims, for its use asselective Caspase-2 inhibitor.
 10. Pharmaceutical composition,comprising at least one compound according to any one of the claims 1 to8 and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, wherein R₂ isselected from:

in which m, p, q, Z₅, Z₆, Z₇, Z₈, Z₉, Z₁₀ and Z₁₁ are as defined in theformula (I) according to claim
 1. 11. Compound according to any one ofthe claims 1 to 8, for its use as a medicament, wherein R₂ is selectedfrom:

in which m, p, q, Z₅, Z₆, Z₇, Z₈, Z₉, Z₁₀ and Z₁₁ are as defined in theformula (I) according to claim
 1. 12. Compound according to any one ofthe claims 1 to 8, for its use in the prevention and/or treatment ofdiseases and/or injuries in which Caspase-2 activity is implicated,wherein R₂ is selected from:

in which m, p, q, Z₅, Z₆, Z₇, Z₈, Z₉, Z₁₀ and Z₁₁ are as defined in theformula (I) according to claim
 1. 13. Compound according to claim 12 forits use in the prevention and/or treatment of pathologies with celldeath, particularly in chronic degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer'sdisease or other tauopathies, Huntington's disease and Parkinson'sdisease; neonatal brain damage in particular neonatal brain ischemia;traumatic brain injury; kidney ischemia; hypoxia-ischemia (H-I)injuries; stroke-like situations brain injuries; heart ischemia;myocardial infarction; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); retinaldamages; ophthalmic diseases such as blunt ocular injury, ischemic opticneuropathy and glaucoma; skin damages; sterile inflammatory diseasessuch as diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiac ischemia, gout, pseudogout,joint loosening, atherosclerosis, syndromes triggered by aluminiumsalts, non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), glaucoma andmetabolic diseases; non-sterile inflammatory diseases such as bacterialinfection in particular with bacteria producing pore-forming toxins,influenza virus infection and single-stranded (ss) RNA Rhabdoviridaeinfection, such as Maraba virus or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV);diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as Brucella, Staphylococcusaureus and Salmonella; dyslipidemias; obesity; metabolic syndrome; andnonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
 14. Compound according to claim 13,for its use in the prevention and/or treatment of Alzheimer's disease.15. Compound according to claim 12, for its use in protecting neuronalcells from Aβ-induced dysfunction or toxicity, more particularly againstAβ-induced cell death, Aβ-induced axonal degeneration, Aβ-inducedelectrophysiological dysfunction, and/or Aβ-induced synapse loss. 16.Use of a compound according to any one of the claims 1 to 8 asactivity-based probe to selectively detect Caspase-2 activity, whereinR₂ is selected from: